Brush roll speed indicator



y 31, 1966 R. s. WATERS 3,253,295

BRUSH ROLL SPEED INDICATOR Filed April 27, 1964 l5 WITNESSES INVENTOR Robert 8. Waters 12%.; $444 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,253,295 BRUSH ROLL SPEED INDICATOR Robert S. Waters, Lexington, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 362,734 6 Claims. (Cl. 339) The present invention relates to an improved vacuum cleaner of the type having a rotary brush in the vacuum nozzle.

Vacuum cleaners of the type having a rotary brush in the vacuum nozzle are, of course, well known. It has been proposed that vacuum cleaners of this type be provided with arrangements to adjust the nozzle height and/ or the degree of suction for the most effective operation over different types of carpet. It has been found that the speed of the rotary brush will vary in accordance with the afore-mentioned factors of nozzle height and degree of vacuum in relation to the surface being cleaned. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a speed indicator for the rotary brush of a vacuum nozzle in order that the height of the nozzle may be adjusted to maintain a desirable brush rotation speed under the encountered conditions of operation.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a roll speed indicator for the rotating brush roller of a vacuum cleaner.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide in combination with a vacuum cleaner of the type having a rotating brush roller, an indicator to indicate the speed of rotation of the brush roller in an arrangement such that the indicator will not become fouled by dirt as a result of the normal usage of the vacuum cleaner.

In accordance with the invention, the rotating brush roller of the vacuum cleaner is provided with a magnetized member carried for rotation therewith and having a plurality of opposite polarity magnetic poles alternately positioned around its periphery such that the rotation of the brush roller will produce a moving and varying magnetic field. The brush roller is mounted within the nozzle structure of the vacuum cleaner housing as may be conventional. A rotatable indicator wheel is separately mounted in the vacuum cleaner housing in a sealed enclosure having a transparent window in the vicinity of the rotating magnetic member on the brush roller but separated therefrom by the partition walls of the sealed enclosure. Thus, the arrangement is such that the rotating indicator wheel is completely enclosed in a sealed enclosure separate from the rotating roller brush so that dirt from the roller brush is not able to contact the indicator wheel. The indicator wheel is also provided with a series of alternately positioned north and south pole magnetized sections around its periphery so that the indicator wheel is magnetically coupled with the magnetic member on the roller brush. Therefore, it will be apparent that movement of the roller brush will cause movement of the indicator wheel since it is magnetically coupled thereto through the partition walls. If desired, indicia may be placed on the edge of the rotating indicator wheel so that its movement may be visible through the transparent window on the vacuum cleaner housing.

Further objects, features and the attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent with reference to the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, of a vacuum cleaner having a rotating roller brush and indicator of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective elevational view of the indicator wheel.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the fragmentarily shown rotary brush vacuum cleaner comprises the housing 10 containing the motor and suction apparatus now shown and supported by a plurality of wheels, such as the wheel 11. A pulley shaft 12 is adapted to be driven by the vacuum cleaner motor and is connected by a belt 13 to drive the rotatable roller brush 14. The rotating roller brush 14 is provided with a plurality of brush elements, such as shown at 15 and 16, and is mounted within the nozzle housing including the casting walls 17, 18, 19 and 20. In addition, a number of dirtfree sealed enclosures, such as the dirt-free enclosures 21 and 25, are provided. A lamp 22 may be mounted within the enclosure 21 to shine its light rays through the transparent window 23 along the path of movement for the vacuum cleaner. The second dirt-free enclosure 25 is arranged to enclose the rotatable brush roller speed indicator of the invention as will now be described in detail.

The speed indicator of the invention is comprised of a wheel or disk 30 having extending axle portions 31 and 32 which may be suitably journaled to be freely rotatable within the dirt-free enclosure 25. An aperture 35 is pro vided in the upper wall 37 of the vacuum cleaner housing and is covered by a transparent window member 38 so that the periphery of the indicator wheel 30 may be readily visible. As shown more clearly by FIG. 3 of the drawings, the periphery of the indicator wheel 30 may be provided with alternate light and dark markings 39 and 40, respectively, or other suitable indicia which will function to visually indicate rotation of the indicator wheel 30.

The brush roller 14 is provided with a magnetized circular driving member or wheel 45 having a plurality of alternately positioned magnetized north and south pole portions spaced around its periphery as shown. Although the magnetic driving member 45 is shown to be a single piece of magnetic material that is magnetized in such a manner as to produce the desired arrangement of alternately positioned magnetic pole portions, it should be understood that the drive member could be formed by positioning magnetized magnetic segments around the periphery of the member 45 in the desired arrangement of alternate pole portions. Similarly, the rotatable indicator wheel 30 is formed of magnetic material that is suitably magnetized to form the alternately positioned north and south magnetic pole portions about its periphery, and it should be understood that the indicator wheel can also be alternately manufactured of non-mag netic material having separate magnetized magnetic segments inserted around its periphery.

Since the rotating indicator wheel 30 is positioned adjacent the periphery of the magnetic drive wheel 45 and since the casting wall partition 18 is formed of a material that will not shield the magnetic field generated by the magnetic drive wheel 45, it should now be apparent that rotation of the brush roller 14 and the magnetized drive member 45 carried therewith will also cause rotation of the indicator wheel 30 due to the magnetic coupling therebetween. Any desired speed ratio between the indicator wheel 30 and the drive wheel 45 may be obtained by suitably proportioning the relative number of magnetic poles on the drive wheel 45 and the indicator wheel 30. Since the indicator wheel 30 is completely enclosed in a dustfree housing and there is no positive mechanical driving connection between the rotating brush roller 14 and the indicator wheel 30, it should be apparent that the arrangement is such that trouble-free operation of the roll speed indicator will be assured for the normal usable life of the vacuum cleaner.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising in combination, a vacuum nozzle, a rotary brush mounted in said nozzle,

means to rotate said brush, magnetic means mounted on a portion of said brush for rotation therewith to generate a varying magnetic field, a speed indicator movably mounted on the exterior of said nozzle in the vicinity of said portion of said brush, and means on said indicator to be responsive to the varying magnetic field of said magnetic means on said brush to cause movement of said indicator means as said brush is rotated.

2. A vacuum cleaner comprising in combination, a vacuum nozzle, a rotary brush mounted within said nozzle, means to rotate said brush, first magnetic means mounted on a portion of said brush for rotation therewith, a brush movement indicator movably mounted without said nozzle in the vicinity of said portion of said brush, and second magnetic means on said indicator to be coupled magnetically with the magnetic means on said brush, whereby to cause movement of said indicator means as said brush is rotated.

3. A vacuum cleaner comprising in combination, a vacuum nozzle, a rotary brush mounted within said nozzle, means to rotate said brush, first magnetic means mounted on a portion of said brush for rotation therewith, a brush movement indicator disk rotatably mounted without said nozzle in the vicinity of said portion of said brush, and second magnetic means on said indicator disk to be coupled magnetically with the magnetic means on said brush to cause rotation of said indicator disk as said brush is rotated.

4. The invention of claim 3 in which said first magnetic means is comprised of a circular member having a plurality of magnetized magnetic areas with opposing north and south polarities spaced alternately around the periphery of the member, and said second magnetic means is comprised of a plurality of magnetized magnetic areas with opposing north and south polarities spaced alternately around the periphery of said indicator disk.

5. The invention of claim 3 in which said indicator disk is provided with predetermined spaced markings to indicate the speed of its rotation by visual effect.

6. A vacuum cleaner comprising in combination, a vacuum nozzle, a sealed enclosure adjacent said nozzle, a rotary brush mounted within said nozzle, means to rotate said brush, first magnetic means mounted on a portion of said brush for rotation therewith, a brush movement indicator rotatably mounted within said enclosure in the vicinity of said portion of said brush, and second magnetic means on said indicator to be coupled magnetically with the magnetic means on said brush, whereby to cause rotation of said indicator means as said brush is rotated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,324,416 12/1919 Stewart 15-339 X 1,907,692 5/1933 White 15339 2,120,011 6/1938 Martinet 15339 X 2,713,158 7/1955 Allen 116-115 X 3,091,680 5/1963 Adrig.

3,108,163 10/1963 Kripke et a1.

ROBERT W. MITCHELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VACUUM CLEANER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A VACUUM NOZZLE, A ROTARY BRUSH MOUNTED IN SAID NOZZLE, MEANS TO ROTATE SAID BRUSH, MAGNETIC MEANS MOUNTED ON A PORTION OF SAID BRUSH FOR ROTATION THEREWITH TO GENERATE A VARYING MAGNETIC FIELD, A SPEED INDICATOR MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID NOZZLE IN THE VICINITY OF SAID PORTION OF SAID BRUSH, AND MEANS ON SAID INDICATOR TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE VARYING MAGNETIC FIELD OF SAID MAGNETIC MEANS ON SAID BRUSH TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF SAID INDICATOR MEANS AS SAID BRUSH IS ROTATED. 